St. John s Episcopal Church Kingston, NY

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1 St. John s Episcopal Church Kingston, NY May 2017 The Good News of St. John s Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Easter Day Gospel reading is a direct command to the disciples: Go and tell. Both the angel in white at the empty tomb and the risen Christ who meets them as they flee from the shocking discovery tell Mary and Mary to go and tell. They are to meet Jesus in Galilee, where we are called to search for the risen Christ in places we don t tend to think of as holy in the everyday places beyond our church walls. The Gospel command is about the Mission of the Church. And so it follows that the Season of Easter (or Eastertide) features the Book of Acts in place of the Old Testament for the First Lesson because the Book of Acts is about the Mission of the Church. We witness through scripture the ways in which the earliest disciples responded to the Resurrection and how they developed the early church. The question always: How does the Resurrection inform us and inspire us so that we might live no longer for ourselves alone, but for the one who died and rose for us? (from Eucharistic Prayer D, which we use every Sunday in Eastertide). As we move through these 50 days of Easter, we are called to explore the Mission of the Church which is not to find new members, but to be looking for God in the world, in Galilee. And then fulfilling our purpose to name and bless God s work in the world as we serve Christ in everyone we meet, coming to know strangers as friends. At the same time, St. John s will be exploring our specific mission: What are we called to do in this place with these resources as the Body of Christ broken open for the world? A Task Force from the Vestry has been hosting conversations on mission and will continue to process the harvest from those conversations with the goal of writing a Mission Statement. This Mission Statement will focus our budgeting, scheduling, outreach, and long-range planning for the next few years. Then, on the Day of Pentecost (June 4), we will celebrate by proclaiming our Mission Statement and asking God s Holy Spirit to guide and bless our ministry. As a member of St. John s community, I ask you to pray daily for our discernment of Mission: O gracious and loving God, you work everywhere reconciling, loving, and healing your people and your creation. In your Christ and through the power of your Holy Spirit, you invite each of us to join you in your work. We, young and old, lay and ordained, ask you to form us more and more in your image and likeness, through our prayer and worship of you and through the study of your scripture, that our eyes will be fully opened to your mission in the world. Then, God, into our communities, our nation, and the world, send us to serve with Christ, taking risks to give life and hope to all people and all of your creation. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. May we be guided by God s Love. In Christ s peace, Michelle

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3 Page 3 St. Johns Fundraising Meeting As part of the 2017 annual budget, we need to raise funds of at least $7,000 this year. Typically the Summer Fair raises $5,000 and the Ham Dinner comes up with roughly $2,000. As we all know, both of these fundraisers are labor intensive, and I for one, am getting older every year, making it more difficult each time. So, in case you have not heard, the Vestry decided that we will not hold a Summer Fair this year, and we will look for new ways to raise funds that don't require so many man hours. I volunteered to lead that charge, but I can't do it alone. I NEED YOUR HELP! It's extremely important that we find new, fun ways to raise money to help offset our expenses. I need ideas. I need to find ways to energize people. This family of ours, the St Johns family has always come together when we are in a crunch. Can you help? I am planning to hold a meeting on Saturday, May 6 in Schellenberger Hall at 9:30 a.m. Please come join me with lots of ideas to kick around. I will keep the meeting to 90 minutes or less. And I will have the coffee on. See you there? Ron Peck SAVE THE DATE!! Our First Fundraising Event John Thorpe & Truth Concert Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 4:00 pm

4 Page 4 Charlie Harnden-Choir Member for 50Years!! There are any number of ways to serve God as a responsible disciple in his church. A loyal Christian worker who serves best is consistent, cheerful, forgiving and faithful. Charlie Harnden has followed his faith in this way for 50 years singing in St. John s choir. Let us all rejoice in his giving, follow his example and sing God s Glory in our own way at the Eucharist of our Lord. Terry B. Earles, Music Director A Quote From Charlie I guess you can say I am trying to sing my way into heaven someday. Singing in the choir has always been fun and never a chore. NEWS FROM THE PAGE TURNERS The Page Turners met in March to discuss Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger a lovely book we all added to our favorites list. We had a lively discussion which added to our appreciation of this novel. Thanks for hosting us, Elaine! Our upcoming schedule is: May 2 nd : Back Rooms, by Ellen Messer and Kathryn May. This book, first published in 1988, has been recently re-released. It is first person accounts, by women and men, about what women faced before the Roe v. Wade decision in One of the authors will attend this discussion, which will be at Barbara Johnston s home. June 6 th : Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett. This is Patchett s 2016 best-selling novel which spans 5 decades in the lives of 2 families. July 11 th : Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. This 2016 best-selling novel weaves the stories of 2 half-sisters born in 18 th century Ghana. One sister stays in Africa, and the other is sold into slavery and sent to the U.S, and the novel follows their families for several generations. Our book club is fun! The book club meets on the first Tuesday of each month in the homes of some of our members and our format is informal and relaxed. If you enjoy reading and discussing books, join us! Speak to Lynn Dennison, Deacon Sue or Barbara Johnston for more information. We welcome new members to the book club at any time. Lynn Dennison

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6 Page 6 Buildings & Grounds Spring Clean-Up On Saturday, May 13 th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm there will be a Buildings & Grounds Spring Clean- Up work party. Please contact Don Hart with any questions and to let him know that you can help. Join us for an hour or two to help clean up our beautiful property after a long winter. Any time you can spare will be most appreciated. It s a great stewardship and fellowship opportunity!! The grass cutting sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board Please choose a week or two to volunteer. Thanks!

7 Page 7 The Bishop Family Organ Repair Fund Organ music is beautiful. For many people, there is no equal when it comes to church music. We are so deeply thankful that we have an experienced and inspired musician in Terry Earles who offers himself fully to his ministry. Still, many are unaware that organ music is a costly endeavor. On top of hiring a talented musician who is properly trained and capable of making the pipe organ sing, the upkeep of an instrument like the one we have is ongoing and regularly requires major repairs that can easily reach into the thousands. Our Estey organ is 111 years old and will soon need significant maintenance. It is because of this that the Vestry offers profound thanks for 2 recent gifts. First, we received a substantial gift to repair the organ in early March (an anonymous gift given in celebration for the ministry of Terry Earles). And second, with another substantial gift, the Bishop Family (Bruce and Mary) has established the Bishop Family Organ Repair Fund. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The Bishop Family has a long relationship with the music program at St. John s and with the Estey organ at its center. Beginning in the 1940 s, Charlotte Bishop brought dance and musical performance to St. John s. Then, in the mid-fifties, Bruce took lessons on the organ at the bequest of another member and then served as organist and choir director at various times over the next 50 years. Elizabeth and David were both members of the St. John s Choir and the hand bell choir for many years. Catherine played flute and piano duets with her father Bruce playing the organ and different times. To honor their family s music ministry and all they have been given through it, the Bishop Family would like to help insure that the organ be available to enhance services in the years to come. If you d like to give to the Bishop Family Organ Repair Fund, please contact Jeanne Ruddy, St. John s Treasurer or just put a note on your donation check. Thank you to everyone who gives of their treasure to support our common life.

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9 Page 9 The Joke Corner A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance Proverbs 15:13 One day, a teenage boy was absolutely over the moon that he had just passed his driving test. Then, just as his father was expecting, the boy approached his dad asking when they'd be able to have a discussion about him using the family car. His father said he'd make a deal with his son: "You need to bring your grades up from a C to a B, study the Bible, and get a haircut. Then we'll talk about the car.' The boy thought about it for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they came to an agreement. After about six weeks, his father said: "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying the Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't cut your hair yet." The boy said: "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair - and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair!" The dad nodded wisely, then leaned over and whispered to his son, "Did you also notice they walked everywhere?" A Rabbi said to a precocious 6-year-old boy, "So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say?" The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!" When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, "And all girls." This soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, "Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?" Her response, "Because everybody always finish their prayers by saying 'All Men'! A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know. Junk is something you ve kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.